Why Newly Elected City Council Member Adam Marshall Should Not Serve on the Redevelopment Commission or the Planning & Zoning Commission

A development lawyer with TREBIC ties should not be shaping Greensboro’s zoning and redevelopment decisions.

Adam Marshall, Partner at Law Firm Carolinas, a TREBIC (Triad Real Estate & Building Industry Coalition) member, has asked Mayor Marikay Abuzuaiter to be placed on the Redevelopment Commission or the Planning & Zoning Commission as a City Council Liaison. His professional affiliations create unavoidable conflicts and damaging appearances of impropriety.

Greensboro’s development boards hold extraordinary power over how land is used, where public dollars flow and how the city grows. To maintain public trust, these boards must remain insulated from private-sector influence, especially from the development and real estate industries.

Mr. Marshall’s areas of practice and affiliations place him squarely inside the development, land-use, zoning and real estate ecosystem, precisely the set of interests these boards regulate;

Areas of Practice:

Community Association/Planned Community Law (Homeowner Association and Condominium Association Law);

Real Estate;

Debt Collection;

Corporate Law;

Land Use and Zoning

Professional Affiliations:

City of Greensboro Board of Adjustment, Member, 2013-2016

City of Greensboro Zoning Commission, Member, 2014-2020, Chairperson 2019-2020

https://lawfirmcarolinas.com/adam-j-marshall

These specialties mean Marshall’s daily legal work involves the same issues decided by Planning & Zoning and influenced by the Redevelopment Commission. His clients and firm benefit from predictable, favorable zoning outcomes, development-friendly interpretations and policies that support builder and real-estate interests.

These roles mean he is closely connected to real-estate professionals, seen by TREBIC and its members as an experienced ally and integrated into the same decision-making networks that benefit from favorable zoning outcomes.

Combined with his partnership in firm with a TREBIC membership creates layered conflicts, not merely theoretical ones.

1. TREBIC’s Core Mission Conflicts With Impartial Public Decision-Making

TREBIC is not neutral. It is one of the strongest development lobbying organizations in the region, representing;

• Developers

• Builders

• Real estate investment companies

• Large property owners

• Engineering, land-use and construction firms

Its purpose is to influence local land-use decisions, ordinances and policies to benefit its members.

If Marshall’s firm is a TREBIC member, then he is professionally tied to a lobbying group whose financial interests are directly affected by both the Redevelopment Commission and Planning & Zoning.

This alone is disqualifying.

2. Planning & Zoning Is One of the Most Heavily Targeted Boards by TREBIC

Among all city boards, Planning & Zoning is the most influential in determining;

• Zoning approvals and denials

• Density allowances

• Special use permits

• Rezoning for development projects

• Land-use ordinance changes

• Conditions on developer requests

• Neighborhood impact assessments

These decisions directly affect TREBIC’s developer members.

Giving a seat on this board to someone who works for a TREBIC member firm;

• Creates a direct channel for industry influence

• Undermines neutrality

• Calls into question every zoning vote he participates in

• Guarantees frequent “recusals,” effectively disabling the commission

• Damages public confidence in the fairness of land-use decisions

This conflict is not incidental, it is structural.

3. The Redevelopment Commission’s Work Aligns Closely With TREBIC Interests

The Redevelopment Commission can;

• Declare redevelopment areas

• Initiate land purchases

• Oversee partnerships with development groups

• Influence large-scale investments

• Advance projects that materially affect property values

Again, these are the precise areas TREBIC exists to influence.

Appointing a TREBIC-affiliated council member creates an intolerable overlap between;

• Public power

• Private profit

• Industry lobbying

This is exactly what conflict-of-interest standards are designed to prevent.

4. Greensboro and North Carolina Ethics Expectations Are Clear; Avoid Not Just Conflicts, But the Appearance of Conflicts

• Public officials must avoid using their positions for private gain

• They must avoid situations where their employer could benefit

• They must avoid even the appearance of undue influence

Marshall may believe he can “just recuse himself,” but that is not enough when;

• His firm’s clients appear before these boards

• His firm’s industry coalition actively lobbies these boards

• His firm profits from land-use outcomes

Public trust erodes as soon as the public must wonder whose priorities are being served.

5. The Council Has Zero Obligation to Place Him on These Commissions

There is no rule requiring a newly elected member to be placed on either Planning & Zoning or Redevelopment.

Greensboro can, and should, appoint officials who;

• Have no ties to development industry groups

• Are not members of TREBIC

• Can vote on matters without recusal landmines

• Can act without the public questioning their loyalties

Dozens of boards have no conflict concerns. These two are not among them.

6. The Optics Are Terrible and Reinforce Fears of Insider Influence

Greensboro already struggles with public concerns about;

• Development favoritism

• Backroom deals

• Politically connected contractors

• TREBIC’s perceived outsized influence

Putting a TREBIC-connected council member on the two most development-influencing boards sends the exact wrong message;

• Developers get inside access. Ordinary residents don’t.

• Even if no law is broken, the optics alone are damaging.

These boards require true independence. The public deserves no less.

Adam Marshall should not be appointed to either the Redevelopment Commission or the Planning & Zoning Commission.

Thanks,

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